Holiday part 3 The art of silk and fire power
by RavenBlazeofyt
Summary: Another glance at Vastra and Jenny's budding relationship and Jenny get's trained in Silurian weapons, repelling and a wonderful period weapon.


Jenny's Advanced Training

The previous week had been long and hard, but it was Sunday now Jenny refused to get out of bed until she was ready. Not that Vastra was really prodding her. Even the regulars training in the woods were allowed this day off to do as they pleased before their advanced training in firearms and combat the next week. Jenny would not be joining them in their second week since she was already very skilled in both hand to hand and swordsmanry, instead Vastra planned to train her in more advanced usage of Silurian weaponry and tools.

But for now Vastra returned to the bedroom where her cherished maid still in her night gown at nearly a quarter passed noon. Vastra had a tray of tea, bacon, bread and butter for Jenny. The lizard woman sat the tray down beside the bed and gently sat down. Jenny was resting on her belly with her eyes closed, facing away from the Silurian. Vastra pulled a lock of hair back from Jenny's face. This was the first time Vastra every really saw Jenny so relaxed for such a long time, the maid was usually running fast and hard taking care of the house, training, studying or in general not being lazy. Vastra smiled softly and gently stroked the younger woman's back. She had enjoyed Jenny's simple beauty before in the hand full of mornings they had spent snuggled up since spring, but it was different seeing the maid from this angle, so at peace as the sun caressed her light skin and soft features. Vastra had intended the care she gave to Jenny over the last six evenings to simply be maintenance, the feeding her good rich dinners, massaging her legs, arms and back, brushing out the young woman's hair as one would maintain a good horse, but Vastra had really enjoyed taking care of Jenny. It felt good seeing and feeling Jenny drift off to sleep as the Silurians hands worked the maids muscles out of their knots. Perhaps Vastra was a bit more ape-like than she had first thought. The grooming rituals were so troublingly ape-like, but it still felt good. And Jenny certainly seemed energized in the morning when she ran off before sunrise to rejoin the Paternoster Regulars In Training. Or perhaps it was the contact, not formal in any way, no strict codes of master and servant... she was just there for the young woman. She even applied a bees-wax-herb-salv to a scrape her maid had gotten on her final day. All the number of times Jenny had worked late to make sure the lizard woman could relax, or cooked or bandaged her when she got home from a hard case... the week had been nothing, but now Vastra understood the joy of making sure someone you care about is patched back up.

Jenny started to stir as the lizard woman gently stroked her back. "Wot time is it?" asked Jenny starting to stir.

"A bit past noon, you have been asleep for over twelve hours my dear." replied Vastra softly admiring her dosing companion.

"Suppose I don't want to get up today?" asked Jenny still half asleep.

"Then you are free to do so, but it is an ever so nice day and I was hoping to at least go for a walk." said Vastra running her fingers gently over Jenny's cheek.

Jenny raised her head and nuzzled and kissed the palm of Vastra's hand. Vastra smiled "Or you could grab a book and rest with me." suggested Jenny laying her head back on the pillow. Jenny never took days like this, but she had worked so hard and the bed was so comfortable and it was already past noon, why not rest a few more hours?

"Spend the day resting my dear?" asked Vastra pondering the odd request. The Silurian smiled softly... why not? Vastra got up and grabbed a book, went behind a screen and put back on her night gown and snuggled up in bed with Jenny. Jenny put her head on Vastra's thigh and promptly went right back to sleep. Vastra admired her maid for another moment than nibbled the breakfast she had brought in and read her book about Ariel silk.

By 3pm Jenny was up and on her feet. She had not felt so relaxed in a long time. Vastra had a picnic already prepared so they walked a few paths and soon were on the sea shore. The salty air and cool breeze made the day perfect. Vastra carried a parasol and walked arm in arm with Jenny.

"Oi that sea side is so inviting, how nice it would be to get in." said Jenny as they strolled the sand, having already eaten their picnic shortly before they reached the sand.

"My kind are more apt to the deserts and dryer areas, though I must admit I find the ionized air to be refreshing." said Vastra

They spent the rest of the afternoon walking and enjoying the sun. As evening fell they Vastra took her to a woods. They walked deep inside down a warn path until they got to a stand of four trees where a ten by seven foot plat form had been built two stories above. Off each of the long sides of the plat form were ropes some of them knotted, some smooth and underneath the plat form were two long lengths of fabric that just barely touched a puffy bed of straw. Vastra put down her parasol and the picnic basket, ran and took a flying leap catching one of the fabric lengths and using it to swing and kick off all four tree's before letting go and flying backwards so she landed right next to Jenny again.

"Bly-mee, where'd u learn to do that? And in a dress none-the-less!" said Jenny shocked.

"When we saw the performers earlier this spring I got inspired. So I read up on the techniques and built a gym for it. Plus repelling is a skill we should both brush up on." said Vastra.

"Is this part of the special training you wanted to do with me tomorrow?" asked Jenny intrigued.

"Yes my dear, and I want to familiarize you with a number of my weapons and technology. Remember the scanning device I used with the uranium and the cyberman? I have weapons and other technology of the similar class. It is important to me that you know how to operate them safely and they should provide you with basics in case we ever use alien weaponry in a battle." said Vastra.

Early Monday morning Vastra had arranged for the Sargent to have the RIT's doing physical training, class room review and study of pistols so she could take Jenny to the fire-arms range on her property. Vastra was in her old, well-worn Silurian armor of a plate-mail-dress, neck guard and gloves. Jenny was in her knickers and button up. They carried a case of weapons and technology to the range, so Jenny could get acquainted with the advanced reptilian armaments. They sat down on a bench facing the range and Vastra pulled out the first weapon. A standard issue, two handed blaster with a trumpet-like front.

"This is the standard Silurian blaster. It works on phaser pulses, concentrated bursts of energy, it can stun or kill. Two settings, that's it. It is powered by a solar-rechargeable power-cell, and can go two hundred shots per cell. One pull of the trigger on the back handle emits a single burst either sustained or in pulses." said Vastra showing Jenny the weapon. They then stood up and faced down range. "While it can be fired from the hip, or a prone position, the first basic position all warriors learn is the two point chest grip. The blaster is facing forward, the arms are bent to triangles and the butt of the weapon under the chin in the crook of the shoulder with arms either out or tight in to the body." said Vastra demonstrating the position. "From this position a user can accurately strike a target from a very steady platform." instructed Vastra then she held the weapon in the correct position and fired. The blaster shot an energy pulse down range and blasted apart a target. She held out the weapon to Jenny who looked slightly nervous, but eager to learn. Jenny carefully held the weapon and pointed it down range. Jenny was tense and shaky. "Just relax my dear, it's not going to explode." said Vastra then she came up behind the maid and wrapped her arms around the young woman to help her position the weapon better. "Tilt your head slightly, relax, arms up. Now look directly down the weapon and place the front tip of the weapon on the target, then just in one motion pull the trigger directly to the back of your palm." said Vastra

Jenny listened carefully and with lizard woman's touch she relaxed. And just as the Silurian said, when she visualized pulling her finger to touch the inside of her palm and she got a perfect bulls-eye. Vastra smiled, Jenny was a natural. She stepped back and Jenny took another shot hitting just to the left of the bulls-eye. Not bad for her first shots alone. Vastra took back the weapon and proceeded to show her hip and prone firing positions, after which Vastra discharged the power-cell and moved onto the next weapon.

"This is a sonic derringer. Smaller than a regular pistol and is a double shot weapon. 2 shots that is it at a time before it needs a full minute of solar energy to recharge." said Vastra pulling out a tiny gun-like weapon that fit in the palm of her hand with two barrels and a striking-hammer (where a percussion-activated fire-starter would have gone, had it been a powder-driven weapon).

She stretched out her harm and pointed the weapon down range. "It is designed as a last-resort defensive weapon, easily stashed in a pocket or purse." said Vastra further explaining the weapon. She fired two shots down range at blocks of wood set up before the blaster demonstration which vaporized on contact. She then held it in the palm of her hand so the sun could hit it and re-charge it.

"These weapons seem a more dangerous than ones that require me-al balls or bullets." said Jenny viewing the weapon.

"Much, but it is very important to me that you know how to use my technology, even if you do not completely understand it. Your safety is very important to me and just as teaching people about dangerous topics helps them understand, so will teaching you about my technology. There, recharged, your turn." said Vastra as she heard the soft tone her derringer lets out when it is charged.

Jenny carefully took aim and with expert marksmanship she fired and vaporized two chunks of wood. The practice proceeded with the sonic grenades and a door-sized force-field-generator which Jenny mastered as quickly as she had mastered the blaster and derringer.

After lunch Vastra took Jenny into the woods to an area with a thick bed of pine-straw (dead needles from pine-trees). "This is the scanning device I use to work on cases. It is a sensing, computing and recording tool, it also has map making and displaying abilities. For general use it can detect a variety of materials and tell you their density, mass, composition and a wealth of other details." said Vastra showing Jenny the screen.

"Like the case involving the block of uranium and that odd metal man." said Jenny

"Exactly! And I have set it to English, so you will not have to translate Silurian," agreed Vastra. She handed the device to Jenny who quickly understood how to at least scroll through the functions using her finger tips and thumbs. "Now there are 10 objects hidden in this five meter by five meter area, use the scanner to find them. And before you pull up the object describe it to me using the tool." said Vastra

Jenny held out the tool over the area "Okay... object is 25 grams earth gravity, metal primarily iron, might be slightly concave in shape, six inches long... I'd say it might be a spoon?" said Jenny looking back at Vastra who stood at her side.

"Find out..." replied Vastra. Jenny brushed away the pine straw to find a 6 inch, steel spoon. And so went on the lesson and Jenny was able to use the scanner to calculate each object to a fair guess. Vastra showed Jenny another aspect of the device's spectrometry, and how it could be used to detect subtle difference in chemicals such as pH. Which lead Jenny to tracking a trail of vinegar, which lead to a trail of baking soda and ultimately to the repelling platform.

Vastra had set up four lengths of silk under the platform, so they could mirror each other. "Over the last few months I have trained myself in this art and have altered it from an art into a utilitarian form of harness-free repelling and aerial platform for detective and if necessary combat. So the basic climb, follow me." said Vastra as she walked across the straw to one set of fabrics and Jenny took her position behind.

"Take the silk in both your hands, and wrap your strong-sided lower leg once around the silk. Pull up with your arms, and bring your legs up with you. Put your free foot on top of the silk so it doesn't slip and you're not supporting yourself with just your arms. Stand up, and continue until you've reached your desired height." instructed Vastra and so the lessons continued for the next three hours. Vastra carefully instructing Jenny in knots, slides, spins and techniques of the silks. At the end of the day both were swore, and so they spent the evenings reading and sipping tea on the porch over looking Vastra's simple sea-side estate. And so the lessons continued for the week. Vastra further instructed Jenny in basic 'strike and move' tactics commonly used in combat situations. Vastra also introduced Jenny to powder based fire arm she personally admired the 1873 carbine (small lever action rifle from the old west), which Jenny handled it with amazing skill in both still and moving combat. Vastra was slightly intimidated by Jenny's natural talent with the firearm, but the Silurian filed it in the back of her mind as a skill that could come in handy. Jenny and Vastra practiced the Ariel Silks, repelling and climbing with gear as well as shooting the blaster and powder weapons for the rest of the week.


End file.
